First ship leaves port of Odesa after opening of temporary corridor by Ukraine

The container ship Joseph Schulte has left the port of Odesa on August 16, becoming the first civilian vessel to use the temporary transport corridor opened after Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal, Minister for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said, Report informs referring to Ukrainian media.

“On August 16, 2023, the container ship, which had been in the port of Odesa since February 23, 2022, left the Vorontsovsky lighthouse and is heading for the Bosphorus. There are more than 30,000 tons of cargo (2,114 containers), including food on board,” wrote Kubrakov.

The temporary corridor will be used to evacuate ships that were in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny at the time of the full-scale Russian invasion.

“According to the navigation order of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine No. 6, temporary routes for the movement of civilian ships to/from the Black Sea seaports of Ukraine began to operate from August 8, 2023,” the minister said.